For the past two years, I lived in Nuremberg and commuted to teach in Berlin. On the train during my four hour commute on a train traveling at 190 miles per hour, I wrote many blogs. Many were reflections on a concert or topic that concerned Berlin.

Two friends, a French conductor and a Spanish violinist, have queried why their respective countries are so fixated on their capitals. Barcelona offers some competition to Madrid’s hegemony, but Paris reigns supreme in France.

In contrast, Germany is strangely decentralized. Frankfurt is the economic center, Dusseldorf the fashion center, Munchen the Beer and Lifestyle center, and Berlin the government center. In terms of the arts, many cities like Cologne, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Munich, Berlin…and even Nuremberg offer varied cultural events.

Nuremberg enjoys a golden medieval past as an engineering, crafts and cultural center. It is the

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Blog post written by Jairo Geronymo, pianist, Berlin, Germany

For the past two years, I lived in Nuremberg and commuted to teach in Berlin. On the train during my four hour commute on a train traveling at 190 miles per hour, I wrote many blogs. Many were reflections on a concert or topic that concerned Berlin.

Two friends, a French conductor and a Spanish violinist, have queried why their respective countries are so fixated on their capitals. Barcelona offers some competition to Madrid’s hegemony, but Paris reigns supreme in France.

In contrast, Germany is strangely decentralized. Frankfurt is the economic center, Dusseldorf the fashion center, Munchen the Beer and Lifestyle center, and Berlin the government center. In terms of the arts, many cities like Cologne, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Munich, Berlin…and even Nuremberg offer varied cultural events.

Nuremberg enjoys a golden medieval past as an engineering, crafts and cultural center. It is the

So I began the hunt for the large, well situated, extremely comfortable, well designed, charming, impressive, and of course, reasonably priced apartment.

The real estate market in Berlin is very different than what one would expect in such a large city. I have heard horror stories from colleagues and friends living in Manhattan. They have shared that to get the perfect apartment at a reasonable (…) price one must be smart and aggressive beyond any measure.

Germany has strong laws to protect renters and only a few empty apartments come up for sale. One would expect that they would sell quickly. Quite on the contrary, they linger forever on the German version of realtor.com (www.immobilienscout24.de).

I believe that in large cities, many people able to buy an apartment often...

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Blog written by Jairo Geronymo, pianist based in Berlin, Germany

Moving

I will move to Berlin this summer.

So I began the hunt for the large, well situated, extremely comfortable, well designed, charming, impressive, and of course, reasonably priced apartment.

The real estate market in Berlin is very different than what one would expect in such a large city. I have heard horror stories from colleagues and friends living in Manhattan. They have shared that to get the perfect apartment at a reasonable (…) price one must be smart and aggressive beyond any measure.

Germany has strong laws to protect renters and only a few empty apartments come up for sale. One would expect that they would sell quickly. Quite on the contrary, they linger forever on the German version of realtor.com (www.immobilienscout24.de).

I believe that in large cities, many people able to buy an apartment often...

Two weeks ago, I saw a show in Berlin by a group called ‘Chamäleon’ The show itself was called ‘Soap’. One of my concert companions was a ten year-old boy. This show seemed the perfect choice for a mind immersed in Nintendo and Disney.

The show mixed acrobatics, special effects, comedy, skin, and hardcore arias by Mozart, Schubert, Schumann and Wolf. Unusual.

The scenery consisted of bathtubs used as a base for acrobatics. The highest bathtub functioned as the throne of a very good soprano wearing a bathing suit. The pairings were a delightful surprise: Wolf with contortions, Schubert with fabric swaths holding muscular bodies, Mozart with soap bubbles.

At the moment, the streets of Berlin are plastered with advertisements for the "Blue Man Group". In Las Vegas, it is difficult to score tickets for...

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Blog entry by Jairo Geronymo, pianist, Nurnberg and Berlin, Germany

Two weeks ago, I saw a show in Berlin by a group called ‘Chamäleon’ The show itself was called ‘Soap’. One of my concert companions was a ten year-old boy. This show seemed the perfect choice for a mind immersed in Nintendo and Disney.

The show mixed acrobatics, special effects, comedy, skin, and hardcore arias by Mozart, Schubert, Schumann and Wolf. Unusual.

The scenery consisted of bathtubs used as a base for acrobatics. The highest bathtub functioned as the throne of a very good soprano wearing a bathing suit. The pairings were a delightful surprise: Wolf with contortions, Schubert with fabric swaths holding muscular bodies, Mozart with soap bubbles.

At the moment, the streets of Berlin are plastered with advertisements for the "Blue Man Group". In Las Vegas, it is difficult to score tickets for...